Many rappers double as screen actors these days, but few are as talented and prolific in both arenas as Mos Def.  Unlike other rapper-actors, the Brooklyn, New York emcee and Emmy®, Grammy® and Golden Globe® award nominee has managed to stay relevant in the hip-hop world by refusing to provide fans of his music with pap.
 
Mos Def made his solo musical debut with the 1996 underground single “Universal Magnetic” and is one of the rappers responsible for helping to foster the resurgence in socially-conscious rap music that occurred in the years that followed.  He has also experimented with blues and rock with his band, Black Jack Johnson.
 
Hip-hop heads will know Mos Def from the string of classic albums he has released from the 1997 classic “Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star” as a member of the rap duo Black Star to his four thought-provoking solo albums including 1999’s “Black on Both Sides,” 2004’s “The New Danger,” 2006’s “True Magic” and 2007’s “Mos Definite.”
 
The rest of the world, however, may recognize Mos Def from roles in numerous films including “The Italian Job,” “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and “Be Kind, Rewind” and television series such as “Chappelle’s Show” and “Def Poetry.”  He will next appear in the films “Next Day Air” and “Cadillac Records.”
 
Mos Def will perform at Toad’s Place next Thursday.  His newest studio album, “The Ecstatic,” is set for release sometime in 2008, so his most recent shows have included a mix of performances of his new material and catalogue hits. 
 
One thing’s for sure: Mos won’t be reenacting any of his movie scenes onstage, but if you’re a hip-hop fan and you miss the chance to hear him perform “Ms. Fat Booty” and “Umi Says” live, you’ll be kicking yourself the next day.
           
WEB | http://www.mosdef.com

UPCOMING EVENTS
What:  Mos Def
When:  Thursday, August 7 @ 8 p.m.
Where:  Toad’s Place 140 Virginia St.
Tickets:  $27.50 in advance

After this story went to press, the Mos Def show at Toad’s Place got postponed to Friday, October 3rd.  Apparently, Toad’s Place is making ticket refunds for the original August show date available until Friday, September 8 if you already bought ‘em:

http://www.toadsplacerva.com/home/calendar/3241